Well-drilling apparatus.



W. J. TRAVERS.

yWELL DRILLING APPARATUS,

A APPVLIOATION FILED mm3, 1912.

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WILLIAM J. TRAVERS, OF OLIND, CALIFORNIA. i

WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

Lovelace.

To all 'whom t may concern {Be itpknown that I, kWILLIAM Jl. TRAVERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olinda, in the county of Orange and State of California, have invented a new and useyful Well-Drilling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an appara-tus for drilling wells by the operation of a reciprocating or impacting drill,'and the main object of the invention is to provide for operation of such drill by hydraulic means.

A further object of the invention is to provide for utilizationof the same water for operation of the drill and for hydraulicking. y

A further object of the invention is to provide a drilling device of the character described which will drill 'a hole of greater diameter than the drill, thereby performing the function of an underreamer.

Other objects of ythe inventionwill appear` hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and referring" thereto: Figure 1 is a vertical section of the drilling apparatus. Fig. 2 is a transverse l.section of the hydraulic operating means. F ig.3 is a vertical section online .a3-w3, in F ig. 2,- showing the piston at the upper end of its stroke, and`showing the ports for admitting hydraulic pressure to the upper end of the cylinder. Fig. 4 is a section on line .et-* in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section on liney @a5-m5, in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the lower part of the hydraulic cylinder, showing the piston in such lower part.

1 designates the casing or tube for supporting the drilling apparatus, said tube being provided at its lower end with a screw coupling 3 into which is screwed the hydraulic cylinder 4, said hydraulic cylinder being screwed or set .into the coupling 3 at a slightangle so as to throw its lower end suiiiciently out of vertical line with the upper end to rovi-de for underreamingl action, as hereina ter set forth. A. shoe 6 may be screwed onto the ,lower end of the cylinder 4 and said shoe may be made eccentric to the cylinder 4 or. made thicker at one side, as shown at 6', so that the center ofthe shoe is substantially in line with the center of the casing l, thisl eccentricity of the shoe compensating for the odset of the cylinder 4. A plug 7 is mounted in the upper end Specification of `Letters Patent.

Patenten oet. ai, aora.

Application filed .T une 3, 1912. Serial No. 701,442.

of the cylinder 4, being, for example, provided with a 'flange 7 fitting on the upper end of cylinder 4, and a plug 8 may be similarly mounted in the lower end of the hydraulic cylinder 4 and resting on an internal shoulder 3 on the sho'e 6. The plugs 7 and 8 are' longitudinally bored for passage therethrough of a piston rod 10, said rod being tubular and serving to support and guide the piston, and also as a means for supplying water to and conducting it from the hydraulic cylinder 4. The piston 12 consists of a cylindrical member secured to the tubular rod 10 and working with a sliding lit in the cylinder 4, the said c linder having openings 13 at its upper en and openings 16 at its lower end, and being provided with a transverse partition 18 dividing the interior of said piston into upper and lower chambers 2() and 21. partition 23 also extends across the longitudinal bore of the tubular rod 10, dividing said. bore into a`n upper, inlet passage 24, and a lower outlet passage 25. A valve member formed as a cylindrical sleeve 27 slides on the tubular rod 10 within the piston 12, the upper and lower ends oi said valve sliding 'Within cylindrical housings 28 and 29, projecting inwardly from the upper and lower heads or end plates 3() and 31 of the cylinder, the Y purpose of these housings being to take end pressure ott' of the valve member so that the valve is balanced so far as hydraulic pressure is concerned, `and said valve member is provided with vertical passages 32 establishing communication between the interior of these housings, so that the water the lower valve chamber 21 and ports 37 in the wall of the tubular rod 10, 'below the partition 23. Passages 39 and 40 are provided in the valve member 27 for establishing communication rwhen the valve member .27 is in lowermostposition between port 4l in the tubular member lo above partition 23 y drill.

and the lower valve chamber 21 and between the upper valve vchamber 20 and the port 4.2 in the tubular member 10, below the parti'- tion 23.'

In order to'prevent the piston from striking' the plug 8 at the bottom of the hydraulic cylinder 4, a slide member 45 is mounted toslide vertically in the lower wall ofthe piston, so that its lower end projecting downwardly from the piston is adapted lower end of the tubular rod/10, for exh-Y ample, a fish-tailV bit screw 47 having ashank 48 screwed into the lower end of said tubular rod 10 and provided with a passage `49 for eiiiux of water from the interior of the tubular rod 10`through the bit into the lower part of the well.

The operation is as follows: Assuming that the bit and the tubular rod 10 carrying the same are in lowered position and'at rest, the valve member 27` will move by gravity to position shown in Fig. 6, water under pressure being supplied through the bore v24l or tube 1, passes down through the bore 24 of the tubular rod -10 and through the port 41 and passage 39 to the lower valve chamber 21, whence it passes out through openings 16 to the interior of the cylinder 4 below the piston, the pressure on the piston tendin to raise the same. If there 1s any water 1n the upper part of the cylinder, it will find its way out through the passage 40 and port 42 to the lower bore portion 25 of the tubular rod 10, andthe passage 49 of the The piston 12 and rod 1() are raised by the pressure of the water until the piston strikes the plug 7 at the upper end of the cylinder 4, whereupon the momentum of the y valve member 10 causes it to slide upwardly to position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, opening communication from the up r portion 24 of the tubular rod 10 throughe sages 34, valve chamber 20 and openings 13 to the cylinder space above the piston, so as to tend to force the piston downwardly and at the same time, communication is open from the cylinder space below the piston through openings 16, lower valve member 21, passage 36, ports 37, lower bore portion 25 and passages 49 to the outside ofthe bit,

so that the water in the lower part of they cylinder will be expelled in the 'downward movement of the piston and assing through thev bit will serve to hydrau ic the'well, the

' bit vbeing forced downwardly by the downward movement of the piston, eventually of the piston on the cylin ports 35, passtrikes the bottom of the well, and the movementof the piston thereby being arrested,

the valve member 27 movesdownward with relation to the piston under the action of its own momentum and again takes the position shown in Fig. 6 whereupon the operationis repeated. The tube or casing 1 bein turned gradually as the drilling proceeds, t e bit 47 is caused to 'cut/ acylindrical bore in `the ground or rock, and .owing to theoifset of the drill by reason of the inclination of the cylinder-4 with respect to the casing 1, this bore is of somewhat larger diameter than the bit, so asto provide for reception of a casing which is larger than the bit. As drilling proceeds, the casing must be lowered and if at any time, the operator fails to lower the casing, so that the 'piston in its descent is in danger of striking the lower end of the cylinder, the slide member 45 is lifted so that the valve is not allowed to descend to the'lower end of the piston and remains in position to maintain pressure on the upper face of the piston. As a consequence, the iston remains at the lower end of the cylin er and the reciprocating opera tion ceases. This stop device, therefore, serves the purpose of notifying the operator that the casing should be lowered, the cessa-- tion ofrec rocation being evidenced by the cessation o the sound of drilling. Inasmuch as this action takes place before the drill has descended far enough to enable the pist-on to actually strike the lower end of the cylinder, such impact of the piston on the cylinder is prevented. It will be under.- stood that owing to the great weight which ordinarilyl rests on the suspendin tube 1, which is sometimes hundreds o length, any jar on the tube in a downward direction is liable to cause the tube to part at the couplingl and the action of the stop device just, described, in (preventing-the jar er is, therefore, of

great importance.

The piston, lower plug, and drill bit are all smaller than the bores of cylinder 4 and casing 1, and the upper plug is smaller than casing 1, so that these arts can be drawn up through the casing 1 w en required.

What I claim is: 1. A well drilling apparatus, comprising a casing, a cylinder at the lowerend of' said inlet and outlet means, and4 valve means opfeet in.

erated .by thel movement of the piston for` controlling connection of the Iater inlet and outlet means with the. cylinder to reciprocate the piston and drilling tool positively by water pressure in both directions, said valve travelin with the iston and drilling tool to shlft the' position of the Lorena@ piston stroke along the cylinder as the drilling tool descends. v

2. A Well drilling apparatus, comprising a casing, a cylinder at the lower end of 'said casing, a iston mounted to reciprocate in said cylin er, a piston rod connected to said piston, a drilling tool carried by said piston rod, said cylinder being provided with water inlet and outlet means, and valve means controlling connection of the water inlet and outlet .means with the cylinder to reciprocate the piston and drilling tool positively by water pressure in both direct-ions, said valve means being slidably mounted on the piston and operating to move in either direction by its own momentum, on arrest of the piston.

3. A well drilling apparatus, comprising a casing, a cylinder at the lower end of said casing, a piston mounted to reciprocate in said cylinder, a piston rod connected to said piston, a drilling tool carried by said piston rod, said cylinder being provided witlrwater inlet and outlet means, land Valve means controlling connection of the water inlet and outlet means with the cylinder to reciprocate the piston and drilling tool positively by water pressure in both directions, said valve means being slidably mounted on the iston and operating to move in either direction by its 'own momentum on arrest of downward movement of the piston, and means at the lower end of the cylinder for engaging with the valve means to prevent such operation ofthe valve means and thereby stop the reciprocating operation when the piston approaches close to the lower end of the cylinder. l

4. In a well drilling apparatus, a casing,

a cylinder connected to the lower end of said casing, a drill operating means mounted to reciprocate in said cylinder, a drilling tool carried by said drill operating means, the axis of said cylinder and the line of motion of said drilling tool being oblique tothe axis of said casing to enable the drilling toolto cut a hole larger than said casing.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California this 24th day of May, 1912.

WlLLIAM J. TRAVERS.

v ln presence of# MARYE. BLASDEL,

ARTHUR ll). -KNIGH'L 

